Source: Talia Shadwell, NZ Herald

Kiwi women and girls are dieting their way out of a chance to have children, says a leading fertility specialist.

Dr Stella Milsom says young women should slow down, eat more and exercise moderately - or pay "too great a price".

The Auckland Fertility Associates endocrinologist said she was sick of reading stories trumpeting the weight loss of the same celebrities who visited her clinic for treatment.

"It really frustrates me when I see my patients written up in the women's magazines when I know they've got the bones of an 80-year-old."

Dr Milsom said she encountered many "high-achieving personalities" suffering from the increasingly common hormonal deficiency syndrome hypothalamic amenorrhoea.  

The problem usually occurred in women with low body-fat levels, causing their periods to stop - the body's way of signalling that it was not healthy enough for a pregnancy.

Career-driven women also developed the disorder as they worked in demanding environments that caused weight loss due to stress, Dr Milsom said. READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Related information:
- Find out more about Dr Stella Milsom and our Endocrinology services